The Exhibitor (1950)

8 EXHIBITOR WECOFFS MEW YORK THE July issue of Changing Times, magazine issued by W. M. Kiplinger, Washing¬ ton, contains a very interesting article on the industry, “Hollywood Fights Back.” One part has to do with business: “Hollywood’s jowls hung heavy with fat during the war years. Gas rationing plus a lack of the usual entertainments took care of that. The producers and the exhibitors became rich and flabby, smug and selfsatisfied. The jolt came after the war, even before they could tell whether the new TV baby was to be a whopping, healthy youngster or a sickly one. “In 1946, labor strife; in 1947, crackdown by foreign governments against U. S. films; the same year, the Klieg-lighted Congressional Un-American Activities Committee hearings. From these scares, Holly¬ wood came out more rugged, leaner, more prepared to fight. Pictures got better, ‘Battleground’, ‘The Heiress’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘All The King’s Men’, to mention a few recent money makers. Hollywood dealt with a few social problems with ‘Lost Boundaries’ (the Negro question), and ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ (anti¬ semitism), ‘No Sad Songs For Me’ (can¬ cer), and ‘The Snake Pit’ (the mentally ill). “Efficiency improved. Frills were cut. Average cost of films dropped from one and three-quarters million dollars to one and one-quarter million. “Today the educated guess is that 62 million people go to the movies each week compared to the 80 million in the all-time lush year of 1946. The gross take of the entire industry is still three times that of 1941. So even though Hollywood has to tighten its belt a notch or two, it can still look ahead to a fairly bright future.” A PARTY COULD GET KILLED: Out in. Iowa, a drive-in came in for a little excitement when a bull wandered in just as the show was starting, and chased the manager all over the place. That indi¬ vidual reached his office, and phoned for aid. Police, deputy sheriffs, and humane society officials responded with the result that the animal chased most of them back to their cars, and then exited. MAIL: “Dear Mel: I note with thanks your comment anent the timing of my son, delivered on Father’s Day. His relation¬ ship to ‘The Black Rose’ is still a loose end, although we are giving serious con¬ sideration to a ‘Black Rose’ diaper, which not only covers loose ends but also scents the subject with a spicy, highly pleasant odor. “Kindest personal regards. “As ever, “STERLING SILLIPHANT, “Promotion manager, “20th Century-Fox.” ITEMS: Our old buddy Fred Goldberg, Paramount syndicate contact, became the proud pappy of a seven pound, three ounce boy last week when Mrs. G gave birth in Woman’s Hospital. The youngster is to be named Alan Marc, and the old man promises to break him in right and early in the publicity game. ... A troupe of five American Indian artists will begin a two-week tour of RKO Theatres in the area as a pre-release build-up for “Broken Arrow,” Roxy. . . . RKO sales promotion manager Leon Bamberger is out with a smart piece of business on “The White Tower.” ... As part of the extensive advanced promotion of U-I’s “Louisa,” the home office is holding special evening screenings for the publishers of news¬ papers and their staffs, with each paper being given a separate evening. Airport Drive-In For NY New York — A drive-in capable of accommodating more than 1,100 cars, and providing waiting space within the theatre area for an additional 400 to 500 cars will be built on a 20-acre plot in the north¬ westerly section of New York Interna¬ tional Airport, Idlewild, Queens, accord¬ ing to an announcement last week by Sidney M. Kain and L. P. Falk, New York International Airport Drive-In The¬ atre, Inc. The company signed a 20-year lease for the land with The Port of New York Authority, operator of the 4,900-acre air¬ port, and construction will begin next month. Herbert S. Taylor Associates, Camden, N. J., is engineer on the project; Drive-In Service Company, Camden, the designer, and Gordon Lorimer, New York, the architect and color designer. "Flame" Starts Fast In Broadway Area New York — Most of the Broadway firstruns last weekend reported grosses about average, or slightly below, for this time of the year. According to usually reliable sources reaching Exhibitor, the breakdown was as follows: “FLAME AND THE ARROW” (WB). Strand, with stage show, hit $33,000 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the opening week heading toward a good $60,000. “THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK” (Para.). Paramount, with stage show, claimed a $57,000 opening week. “IF THIS BE SIN” (UA). Rivoli an¬ nounced $10,000 for the second week. “WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS” (20th-Fox). Roxy, with stage show, did $45,000 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the first week bound to top $75,000. “THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR ...” (MGM). Radio City Music Hall, with stage show, took in $83,000 on Thursday through Sunday, with the second week anticipated at $138,000. “DESTINATION MOON” (ELC). Mayfair looked for a $30,000 second week. “THE 3RD MAN” (ELC-SRO). Vic¬ toria expected $7,500 on the 23rd week. “THE LAWLESS” (PARA.). Astor claimed $10,000 on the third week. “ANNIE GET YOUR GUN” (MGM). Loew’s State expected $17,000 for the eighth week. “CRISIS” (MGM). Capitol, with stage show, anticipated the opening week at $45,000. “THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER” (U-I). Park Avenue looked for a $4,500 fifth week. “THE WHITE TOWER” (RKO). Criter¬ ion expected the second week to tally $15,000. Johnston Returning To London New York — The Motion Picture Export Association board last week authorized Eric A. Johnston to go back to London on July 15 to renegotiate with Harold Wilson, president, British Board of Trade. The MPEA board meets again on July 14, and the London confabs get going on July 18. Both the MPEA and SIMPP object to the proposed British plan in part, particu¬ larly to that phase which would reduce convertibility of American earnings in England in proportion with any reduc¬ tion in the amount of U. S. investment in British production from the average of the past two years. McConnell Answer Filed Chicago — Thomas McConnell, attorney, Jackson Park Theatre, filed an answer last week in Federal Judge Michael Igoe’s court to a petition filed recently by attor¬ ney Albert Teton to modify the Jackson Park decree by eliminating the two weeks’ clause entered by the court on Dec. 16, 1946. A hearing will be held in September. RFC Refuses Producer Loan Washington — The Reconstruction Finance Corporation last fortnight turned down an application of producer Sam Bischoff for a $4,800,000 loan. Bischoff’s application had been vigorously pressed. Pictured at a recent reception at the Club 21, New York City, are some of the Paramount executives present at the affair honoring Max E. Youngstein upon his appointment as a Paramount vice-president and member of the board. From left are: Barney Balaban, Adolph Zukor, Youngstein, A. W. Schwalberg, and E. K. O Shea. Youngstein is director of advertising, publicity and exploitation for the company. July 12, 1950